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Weather Books

This list focuses on "real world" applications for meteorological data, as well as advice on obtaining accurate data. Please let us know of any books you've found helpful and we'll add them to the list.
	Eric Sloane's Weather Book Author: Eric Sloane Publisher: Dover Publications (December 7, 2005) ISBN: 0486443574 Sloane instructs readers how to glean climate information by "reading" such natural phenomena as winds, skies, and animal sounds. A beautifully illustrated and practical treasure trove of enlightening lore for outdoorsmen, farmers, sailors, and anyone who has ever wondered whether to take an umbrella when leaving the house.
	Instruments for Physical Environmental Measurements, with Special Emphasis on Atmospheric Instruments, Volume 1 & Volume 2 Author: Jen Yu Wang and Catherine M.M. Felton Publisher: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co (1975, 1983) ISBN: 0840330987 (Vol 1) and 0840331029 (Vol 2) Foreword and Table of Contents (PDF 1.2MB)
	International Weather Watchers Observer Handbook (PDF 770KB 45 pages) Author: Tim Vasquez Publisher: Weather Graphics Technologies (1995, 1998) ISBN: Unknown This comprehensive manual offers a set of standard observation routines to help the amateur weather observer. Free PDF download.
	National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Weather Author: David M. Ludlum Publisher: Knopf (October 15, 1991) ISBN: 0679408517 Popular reference covers weather systems, cloud formations, and atmospheric phenomenon common to North America. The dramatic photographs capture cloud types, precipitation, storms, twisters, and optical phenomena such as the Northern Lights. Essays with accompanying maps and illustrations discuss the earth's atmosphere, weather systems, cloud formation, and development of tornadoes and many other weather events.
	National Weather Service Handbooks Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1 - Surface Weather Observations and Reports FCM-H1-2005 NWS Observing Handbook No. 1 - Marine Surface Weather Observations (PDF 4.3MB 153 pages) NWS Observing Handbook No. 2 - Cooperative Station Observations (PDF 1.4MB 94 pages) Free PDF downloads.
	The Snow Booklet: A Guide to the Science, Climatology, and Measurement of Snow in the United States Author: Nolan J. Doesken and Arthur Judson Publisher: Colorado State University; 2nd edition (January 1997) ISBN: 0965105628 This short book (88 pages) describes, in simplified terms, many facets of snow -- how it forms, how it falls, how it changes, how it melts, and how it affects us on the ground including the hazards it presents. Special emphasis is given to the measurement of snow -- why it seems so simple and yet can be one of the most difficult meteorological measurements. Detailed instructions on how to measure snow accurately and consistently under a wide range of weather conditions are presented.
	Weather Companion Author: Tim Bartlett Publisher: Fernhurst Books; Spiral edition (September 15, 1999) ISBN: 189866059X Compact guide in a splash-resistant flip-card format emphasizes practical predictions and understanding atmospheric basics including coastal effects, fronts, terminology, and preparing a simple weather map. For boaters, naturalists, sportsmen, gardeners, and sky watchers.
	Weather Matters: An American Cultural History since 1900 (Cultureamerica) Author: Bernard Mergen Publisher: University Press of Kansas; 1st edition, edition (October 1, 2008) ISBN-10: 070061611X ISBN-13: 978-0700616114 Rich in detail and anecdote, Weather Matters is filled with eccentric characters, quirky facts, and vividly drawn events. Mergen elaborates on the curious question of the "butterfly effect," tracing the notion to a 1918 suggestion that a grasshopper in Idaho could cause a devastating storm in New York City. He chronicles the history of the U.S. Weather Bureau and the American Meteorological Society and their struggles for credibility, as well as the rise of private meteorology and weather modification—including the military's flirtation with manipulating weather as a weapon. And he recounts an eight-day trip with storm chasers, a gripping tale of weather at its fiercest that shows scientists putting their lives at stake in the pursuit of data.
	Weather Station Handbook -- An Interagency Guide for Wildland Managers Author: Arnold I. Finklin and William C. Fischer Publisher: National Wildfire Coordinating Group, Boise Interagency Fire Center; PMS 426-1, NFES 2140, SuDoc A 1.11/3:W 37 (March 1990) ISBN: Unknown Provides standards and procedures for obtaining weather data, and for operating and maintaining weather stations. Weather Station Handbook (PDF Version)